It’s May…
I stare at my calendar in that old familiar trance-like state. Oh my… it’s here…May. May is the month full of ‘end of the year’ ceremonies, tournaments, field trips, recitals, concerts and programs galore. I catch my breath with utter exhaustion and sheer anxiety just thinking about the days ahead. How will I do it all? Throw in my daughter’s birthday and Mother’s day and you have non-stop events that infiltrate each day and leave little room for even a sigh.
Everyone has a May. I see you all fly through your days scurrying with uniforms, instruments, athletic gear and costumes. Your faces have that similar sweet sweat, as you race to the next ‘thing’. It’s that time of year where it all comes to a climax and everyone’s plate is heaped high with the consequences of having a full life. I keep repeating my recurring mantra: “it’s all good things”, and yet I am still struggling to envision it all unfolding smoothly.
I’m in it now, as are you… and I wonder how you manage it all? I do it by staying up way too late and scurrying with extreme angst while riding the tail end of tolerance. I carry a certain dread underneath the glow of excitement. I ache for a break or an “out” and often find myself wishing for June to come fast.
So there I was, on a field trip with my daughter’s fourth grade class yesterday… something I was excited to do and yet dreaded at the very same time. How can I miss an entire day of blog work and house work and group planning and errand running and the endless list of “to do”s? I need to check so much more off my list before an AHG session that night and women’s group tomorrow and soccer games and and and and… I was already feeling completely overwhelmed just entering into May’s madness.
And then it happened. God sometimes speaks in a whisper and gently soothes our souls when we least expect it. There was a resounding “click”, and an ever-present peace that replaced my murky existence… He crept into my heart and laid this thought on my mind:
Be in this moment. Let the rest go…
And although I have preached this very thing to my friends, my kids and myself hundreds of times… I never really lived it. I always have an ongoing list of thoughts that litter my mind in preparation for the next ‘thing’. I call myself a forward thinker- but my organizing and planning sometimes leads me to never appreciating the moment when I finally get there.
This May, I am going to intentionally let go and embrace each moment.
I will scurry around and go at top speed to prepare and plan and navigate my way through the timelines and correspondence of said activities. And I will certainly stay up late and run myself down in hopes to prevent panic attacks and heart attacks from within. Oh, I may lose it from time to time and perhaps drop a ball in this high stakes game, as I always somehow do…
But I am going to be in the moment, when that moment happens. I will let the rest go… if only for that time.
After this new inspiration enlightened my heart, I later tried to test it. I searched for my phone deep down in my purse, while on the field trip, just to check on a few texts and perhaps open some emails that I knew I couldn’t respond to from my ‘non-iphone’. It was a habit. An automatic reflex responding to one moment of pause during a wonderful and fulfilling day.
My phone wouldn’t turn on. I tried and tried, and realized that the battery had probably died. You see, it was low when I left the house in a hurry this morning to make the bus. I will assure you I reprimanded myself accordingly for not charging it overnight. But here I was… downtown on a field trip with out any use of my phone.
A moment of panic rushed into my veins. The panic was initially for not having any communicating lines open with the school regarding my son, if need be. Then I climbed to the other side of the panic, and found this new sense of calmness in accepting that I don’t need to have access to my “stuff”. I was living in the moment. Why stop now??
Enlightenment confirmed.
When I got back from being gone all day, I reflected on how lovely it was to spend my precious hours with those adorable kids and learn so much together. Being in the moment becomes a blessing, when you truly embrace it.
I promised right then to myself, that I was going to take each step with purposeful intention and for each and every recital, concert, game, ceremony, celebration, field trip, event…
I will live it. Really live it. And let go of the rest… if only for that moment.
And as I smiled to myself with a new found conviction and promise, I tried to once again turn my phone on, as I fiddled around to find my charger in the car. Before I connected it, I realized my phone lit up and still had some battery left.
Hmm…
Oh sweet loving Lord,
Thank you.
love it! Gonna try to REALLY live it right along with you sister! Great insight and what a way to honor God AND our families by not being somewhere else when we are with them!
We can encourage each other IRL on a daily basis, Marcia!!! I love that I can be blessed by your sweet support and I too, will always be there for you, dear friend! We will DO THIS!!! 🙂
I LOVE your resolve to embrace each moment and let the rest go. When things get busy, there are other things that I have to let go and that’s OK. I’d rather give my all to what’s in front of me than to try to do everything half heartedly. Earlier last week, Christine from Love Life Surf had written about how there is no such thing as balance. All we can do is be fully present in the moment, like you are doing right now. Good job, Mama.
I love what Christine said! The balancing act will always be in full throttle, no matter what time of year it is… I am convicting that I need to be “fully present in the moment”- trying so hard to turn my mind off and let go- so I don’t miss the good stuff. THOSE are the blessings I too often pass up. I have a feeling you are much better at this than I, Ilene!! 🙂
I too am trying to live more in the moment. It is so easy to get caught upon stuff that quite frankly does not matter one bit! It is quite freeing when the phone dies!hugs Chris. I am going on a field trip with my son this week and I resolve to turn the phone off.
Oh I can only imagine what goes through your busy mind and precious heart Alexa! It IS freeing when we are forced to only focus on the things right in front of us! I was blessed with that… but we really need to try to be more intentional in every moment- Just like you will do with your son’s field trip!!! I would hate for us to miss out on all the blessings that are a gift- oh how I take some moments for granted. They slip by when I am too engaged in those things that “quite frankly don’t matter one bit!” ENJOY your day with your precious kiddo! 🙂
I have just found your blog through a search for devotions on the prodigal son and I enjoyed your viewpoint so much on that topic, I wanted to read your post for today. Now I’m hooked! Your words speak straight to my heart!
I am a live-in-the-moment gal, but it is hard to do that during the crazy busy month of May. I sometimes feel guilty for enjoying the sun and fun of the moment when there are things to worry about! But your words remind me that the sun is God’s creation and He wants us to enjoy and appreciate it too! My kids are nearly grown, so I need to consciously take time to enjoy them as well! Thanks for the reminder!
Oh, I am SO happy you found my blog!! I love how God can use my words to speak to your heart! Your comment is such a blessing to me Debbie! There are always so many things to worry about, no matter how old our kids are. And I believe we, as mothers and women constantly struggle to find balance and remain in those precious moments that are given to us… I hate the thought of missing out on them because our minds and our hearts are somewhere else. I pray we can BOTH be more intentional with this profound lesson.
I look forward to our new found friendship, Debbie! SO glad you came back. I appreciate you. 🙂
Hmmm. How do you always know what I need to hear, Chris? I was just stressing out about everything I have coming up this week. Then, I got a phone call from my husband, who was at G’s lacrosse practice. Biz had to poop. 🙂 So, I had to stop and pick him up. (I’m reading your post as I wait for Biz now.) We’re heading outside to play next. This week will be fine. Time to live in the moment!
Oh, that is so funny Jennifer!!! Gosh how I hate when I am interrupted or my plan is detoured, especially when I am in the thick of things- as I KNOW you are!!! Our kiddos have a great knack for throwing a bump or two in our path! It’s so so HARD to just breath and truly focus on the moment that is given to us. And yet, we miss out on so much if our minds and hearts are somewhere else!
I am so proud of you embracing the moment with Biz and going outside to play! That is just so so awesome Jennifer!! I could just picture you at your desk, frantically pushing papers and on the computer trying to line up your busy week ahead…and you get the call. SCREECHING HALT!! Oh yes. Time for Biz! Moment captured. Lived. Embraced. Everything else- let go… just for now.
Now THAT’S how you do it!! 🙂
Beautifully put truth…living in the “present” (aka “gift”)! I can’t even count how many of God’s sweet gifts I’ve passed up because of getting ready for the next moments. Now I am going to try too!
I KNOW! I love how you put that Tammy!! I hate the thought of missing out on all of those precious gifts He gives us that we will never experience again. I take so so much for granted, as I selfishly worry or plan the next “thing”. We can encourage each other in this intentional living. 🙂
This post reminds me of one of Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project’s truths. The Days Are Long, But the Years Are Short. I think she came up with it when realizing it is hard to do all the daily tasks that come with motherhood, but they really do grow up fast.
YES! I love that! It is so so true. I was just staring at my kids this morning in total amazement at how old and beautiful they are. How does it happen? I told them how I couldn’t believe they were once 6 pounds and swaddled in my arms. Years are short.
I’m so glad you were able to really be ‘in the moment’ with the field trip…it can be soooo refreshing to Not be connected to any social media for awhile and just enjoy the company of the people you are with, yay! I pray you are able to glide through May with no stress and just wonderful memories! Such a beautiful month indeed!
I am actually suffering from what I have finally discovered to be severe allergies! Ugh. It makes it a bit harder to face all of the craziness, when I am feeling like crud. BUT, I am going to still try to pace myself as best I can and be IN each special moment. I need to savor each one of them.
This was very fitting for me as I sat and worried about how I was going to fit everything in this month . Thank you!
Exactly Julie. I did the very same thing, and continue to look at my calendar and somehow try to make sense of it all. And you have THREE kiddos that are probably keeping you busy along with said 80 hour work weeks! I thought of you living in the moment while looking at the pictures and reading about the birthday celebration! I seriously thought to myself, man, how DOES she do it all???
This is so lovely. Yesterday, I decided to unplug – no phone, no checking email or Facebook or Twitter all day long. It was hard and I felt lazy because I had so much to do. But I did live in the moment with my family and it was lovely. Good luck to you as May kicks up. We will all make it through!
Oh Tricia, that is just so, so awesome you took a day away from it all, and focused on your family! I bet you feel recharged and fulfilled in a whole new way!! Here’s to MAY. We WILL prevail!!!!! 😉
You are so in my head. I didn’t get a chance to read this post before now because I was out of town at my nephews 10 yo birthday party, fretting over all the things and events I have to do this month and how am I going to handle it all. I wish I read this post yesterday, it might’ve spared some of the frustrations I had with not being able to do house work, grocery and everything I needed to do to prepare for the week. Thank God I can still be enlightened and be in the moment, letting every thing else go. Thank you my friend… I so needed this. (I’m exhaling 😉 )
Oh Hope! I LOVE that you get this!!! I believe we are going through the same craziness! I would have been fretting over all those things too. It is so hard to let it all go, and truly be in the moment. I am hoping it gets easier for me- and for you, as the blessings of letting it go and being “in the moment” truly will come, as we experience life in a different way. 🙂
Well, it wouldn’t bother me if the phone didn’t work, I don’t know how to use the damn thing anyway! Ooppps!
HAHAHAHA!!!! Oh do I know it! I mean, I couldn’t turn the darn thing ON, for crying out loud!! 😉
Great post Chris. I found myself doing the same thing this weekend. It was intentional, and I was really glad I did. I resolve to follow in your footsteps and continue that this month. :)-Ashley
Oh that is WONDERFUL Ashley!!!!! Isn’t it amazing when you actually let go of everything else, how incredibly freeing it is? We have to make sure we embrace that all the time… Oh, how I struggle with this! May will be the true test. 🙂
“Be in this moment and let the rest go.” I’m really loving and looking forward to these devotional posts, Chris. And “somehow” the timing of your words is always perfect! 🙂
Oh Mary! You don’t know how much that encourages me to keep writing these devotionals!! God is so big, He uses us ALL who are willing, to reach into the hearts of His children, doesn’t He? Oh, how I just love that. 🙂 I am so so glad you are getting something out of them… your comment is all I need for inspiration. Thank you sweet friend. SO grateful.
LOVE this!!! I am in May Madness as we speak (or rather, read) and can so relate. May is like a second Christmas and it’s all I can do to keep up. What they don’t tell you when you are expecting is the warning about the month of May–it’s so NOT about a flagpole and singing May Day! But thank you for the reminder to let go and let God. Embrace the moment and be in the moment, oh ya, forgot to do that amidst the rushing around! So thank you for this great post and reminder… I will try to take heed what you said and pray about each moment….but I’m still gonna breathe a sigh of relief when it’s time to flip the calendar to June. 🙂
Isn’t it SOOOO crazy??!!! I am just now scurrying around the house trying to get ready for women’s group, digging through laundry to find soccer uniforms to wash and throwing costumes in the car for dress rehearsal this afternoon! Oh- and tonight is a school end of the year event too boot! Come on JUNE!!!! Lord, help me to be in every moment until then…
{Melinda} Oh boy, do I get this. My mind is always racing to the “next thing.” I have to be so deliberate about engaging with my children. Really listening. It is a choice and we have to make it over and over and over again. Beautiful post.
(And I have a love-hate relationship with field trips, too!)
Oh yes, Melinda! I do believe most women and moms feel the same way as us!!! I am on a whirlwind crazy ride in May- and all the different “tugs” distract me constantly! Here’s to trying to focus on the moment and remembering what is most important in our lives. CHEERS! 🙂